Giants pound Braves 10-4 to win series

Hunter Pence, Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford homered to power the Giants past the Atlanta Braves 10-4 on Wednesday.

Gregor Blanco stole three bases and scored three runs as the Giants continued to dominate the matchup of NL division leaders. San Francisco finished 5-1 against Atlanta this season.

The scoring surge gave Madison Bumgarner (5-3) room for error on a warm, windless day along the bay. Bumgarner allowed four runs and five hits in five innings, striking out five and walking one.

Julio Teheran (2-3) lasted only 3¹⁄³ innings for the Braves. He gave up five runs — four earned — and seven hits in his second loss to the Giants this season.

Pence finished with four hits and three RBIs, Crawford collected three hits and three RBIs and Morse connected for his team-leading ninth home run. Blanco singled and walked twice from the leadoff spot as the Giants backed Bumgarner’s slow start as soon as they got a chance to bat.

Freddie Freeman and Chris Johnson each hit RBI doubles to give the Braves a 2-0 lead in the first. The Giants responded in the bottom half, scoring three runs, sending nine batters to the plate and forcing Teheran to throw 41 pitches.

Blanco extended San Francisco’s lead to 4-2 when he walked leading off the second, stole second and third and scored after catcher Evan Gattis sailed his throw to third into left field for an error.

In the fifth, the Braves landed on the wrong side of the transfer rule, which has come under increased scrutiny this season with baseball’s expanded replay. Second base umpire Ron Kulpa called out Tyler Pastornicky on a forceout, though Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez argued that Brandon Hicks never closed his glove before dropping the ball as he tried to throw to first for a double play.

Gonzalez did not challenge the call.

Blanco added to his big day in the fifth with an RBI single off Alex Wood, then stole second and scored on Pence’s two-out single.

Morse stretched San Francisco’s lead to 8-4, and Crawford added a two-run homer with the Giants’ 66th “splash hit” into McCovey Cove in the eighth.

Juan Gutierrez pitched a perfect sixth, Jean Machi tossed two perfect innings and Javier Lopez pitched a scoreless ninth to help the Giants win two series in a season over the Braves for the first time since 2008.

NOTES: Braves CF B.J. Upton was ejected in the sixth after arguing with home plate umpire Lance Barrett following his third strikeout. It was the first time any Braves player or manager has been ejected this year. … Giants CF Angel Pagan had the day off after leaving Tuesday night’s game with a sore right knee. … Braves RF Jason Heyward also had the day off. … RHP Matt Cain (0-3, 4.25 ERA) starts for the Giants on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series against the Marlins. … The Braves are off Thursday before beginning a three-game series at St. Louis on Friday.

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